Chrysler minivans celebrate 25 years of leadership

Posted on Monday, September 29th, 2008 at 9:03 AM EDT.

Chrysler celebrates 25th anniversary of minivan The year was 1983. Ronald Reagan was President of the United States of America. Lech Walesa was the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. The Internet was created, and the first mobile phones were introduced to the public. U.S. astronauts completed the first space shuttle spacewalk; Michael Jackson performed the “moonwalk.” The Baltimore Orioles won the World Series…and Chrysler hit a home run with the introduction of the first minivan. The Chrysler Corporation (as it was known then) was first to market with the minivan in 1983. However, the development of the minivan began even earlier than that, in 1977, as a response to new customer needs identified in the marketplace. Chrysler pinpointed a potential vehicle market that needed to deliver a few simple premises: fuel-efficient, easy to step into, family friendly and smaller than the Dodge Ram Van.
On November 2, 1983, the first minivan rolled down the assembly line in Windsor. These 1984 model-year Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager models quickly appeared in dealerships throughout the U.S. alongside the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant K-cars. The launch of the minivan in 1983 created an all-new product segment.
The newest fifth-generation minivans—Chrysler Town & Country, Chrysler Grand Voyager and Dodge Grand Caravan—encapsulate more than 65 minivan-first features and more than 25 years of development in minivan leadership. As the leader in family transportation, Chrysler and Dodge minivans take the “family room on wheels” concept to a new level.
With more than 12 million minivans sold worldwide and over 260 awards—including 2008 “Minivan of the Year” and “International Truck of the Year” by the International Car of the Year organization—Chrysler and Dodge minivans are continuing to make history.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 29th, 2008 at 9:03 AM EDT and is filed under Company. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments are currently closed.